History and Culture of Maui

By Hawaii.com Team

Maui honors its past, amidst its natural beauty and visitor attractions. The chapters in Maui’s history are well documented and each culture weaves the fabric of today’s experiences.

Lahaina is a town of major historical significance. Once the first capitol of the Kingdom of Hawaii, a busy whaling port, and a plantation settlement, you can still walk in the footsteps of Lahaina’s past. The Lahaina Historic Trail, is a self-guided tour throughout Lahaina’s historic districts. The Baldwin Home was the two-story house of Protestant missionaries in the mid-1830s. Anachronistic structures like the Wo Hing Temple and the Lahaina Jodo Mission highlight the influences of Chinese and Japanese immigrants in Maui.

Famous aviator Charles Lindbergh was laid to rest in 1974 in an isolated cemetery on the slopes of Haleakala, 12 miles beyond Hana, in Kipahulu. This simple gravesite of the man who in 1927, became the first aviator to fly solo across the Atlantic, is an oasis of gentle peace and quiet. The cemetery is located next to the Palapala Hoʻomau Church, a limestone and coral structure which was built in 1857.

Life takes on a simpler nature in places like Upcountry Maui and towns like Makawao. Sprawling ranches and the paniolos (cowboys) who still work them today, have an important place in Maui history, along with plantations and missionaries.